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Afghan immigrants resettling in the U.S. under the Special Immigrant Visa program have found a home in Colorado, but many still wait in Afghanistan.

The program, launched in 2009, was created by Congress to provide permanent protection to Afghans affiliated with U.S. missions such as translators and interpreters as well as their families.

U.S. Rep. Jason Crow, an Aurora Democrat who served as an Army ranger in Afghanistan, is advocating that Afghan nationals abroad have better access to special immigrant visas.

In June, he introduced the Afghan Allies Protection Act of 2023, a bill that would increase the number of Afghan special immigrant visas available, authorizing an additional 20,000 visas. It would also create a more streamlined pathway for processing the visas.

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The processing of the visas has been plagued with backlogs, leaving many individuals who would be eligible for an SIV still in Afghanistan, according to the International Rescue Committee, an organization that helps refugees resettle in the United States.

The U.S. officiallypulled out of Afghanistan in August 2021, leaving the Taliban to fill a power vacuum and putting many U.S. allies in the country in danger. The U.S. evacuated over 124,000 people from Kabul before leaving.

In Colorado, there are 3,700 Afghan refugees currently enrolled in the states Refugee Services Program. Afghans make up about 40% of all individuals enrolled in the program. Of that, there are about 1,000 Afghans on the SIV program.

Reza Rezayee came to the U.S. on an SIV late last year after working as a logistics specialist for OT Training Solutions, a U.S. company that provides training and educational services to the military and other international organizations.

It was a long process for Rezayee. He said he applied for the program at the end of 2020, and received his SIV approval in August 2021. During his time waiting, he fled to Pakistan and waited there for eight months for an interview and final approval before coming to Colorado.

It is hard, I had to move from my home at midnight and I didnt tell anyone I was moving to Pakistan, it was only goodbye with my own family, Rezayee said.

His family is still in Afghanistan, along with some colleagues from when he worked with OT Training Solutions.

He said most of his colleagues were able to get a SIV, but a little less than half are still waiting either in Afghanistan or other places like Pakistan. Most of the people who are there, they are left there, they are in danger there, they are not safe, Rezayee said.

Foreign Policy reported in March that the Biden Administration estimates over 150,000 Afghans eligible for the SIV are trying to escape.

You should know that when you come here, you start with zero, nothing.

Reza Rezayee, who came to the U.S. on a special immigrant visa

Homayoon Milad, a community sponsorship coordinator with the International Rescue Committee in Denver and an Afghan SIV refugee himself, said he thinks it may take about 30 years to evacuate everyone eligible for an SIV out of Afghanistan.

Crow told Newsline that his proposed legislation would try to fix some of the backlog issues Afghan applicants are facing, including barriers to the medical exams and interviews necessary for the SIV application.

He said many people cant afford the cost of the medical exam, which often could take $1,000 or more to complete. The other barrier is securing an interview, which has to be in person. But, the Afghan Protection Act would provide remote processing for interviews.

They have to know that our handshake will matter, and thats what this bill is about, is keeping that promise that will be made to them for decades in bringing them and their families to safety, Crow said to Newsline.

Getting to the U.S. is only part of the hardship resettling, finding work and adjusting to a new life is another mountain of challenges. The federal government allocates funds for 90 days a refugee enters Colorado to help start the resettlement process. Several non-governmental organizations also work to ease that process by providing monthslong and yearslong support programs.

For Rezayee, the African Community Center in Aurora helped him. He said it took about two months to find work, and he now works as a maintenance engineer. The organization was able to help Rezayee for about four months, and then his livelihood was up to him.

You should know that when you come here, you start with zero, nothing. You may be someone who has good wealth or good work in your (home) country, but here you start from zero, Rezayee said.

Crow and other advocacy organizations are working not only to extend SIVs and get Afghans to safety in the U.S., but also provide a better pathway to citizenship for many who came here on parole status as part of Operation Allies Welcome.

That is what the Afghan Adjustment Act, which failed in Congress in 2022, would have done. The legislation was reintroduced July 14.

Crow said he does not expect to face pushback on this legislation, because there is bipartisan support and in the past, members on both sides of the aisle supported legislation aimed to help U.S. allies in Afghanistan.

Once arrived in Colorado, refugees are supported by resettlement organizations, like IRC, that aid in finding housing and work and navigating legal issues.

Two distinct populations have settled in the U.S. from Afghanistan under the SIV program, according Milad. The first population to receive the SIV program when it launched in 2009 were typically people with higher education who worked as interpreters.The new population applying for the program after the U.S. pulled out of Afghanistan leaving thousands of Afghans under the rule of the Taliban are many who fought alongside the American military and havent had the same education. So, adjustment and resettlement can be much more difficult.

Milad said a misconception that harms the refugee community in the U.S. is that they are a liability to the state. He said in his work he sees that when refugees resettle they seek jobs and find ways to stand on their own feet.

I will say that refugees and immigrants are not liabilities to them, todays state government to the federal government, theyre an asset, Milad said.

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Two years after the U.S. pulled out of Afghanistan, many allies still in ... - Colorado Newsline

After 25 years as an elite Army soldier and a high-ranking White House official responsible for setting Afghanistan policies, retiredColonel FernandoLujanis gearing up for his next major assignment, a year teaching politics at Howard University as a Chamberlain fellow and visiting professor.

The Chamberlain fellowship program gives recently retired military people opportunities on college campuses.

Lujan, a graduate of The U.S. Military Academy West Point, said he chose Howard University to ensure public affairs knowledge is dispersed to minority students.Lujansaid the Chamberlain fellowship program gives him the opportunity to pass the lessons hes learned to students. The program places a small number of officers at universities to engage with the student body for a year; the purpose is to improve dialogue between the military andhigher education communities.

Lujan said he was attracted to Howard because of the work ofBernard Fall, one of the most famous chroniclers of the Vietnam War and a past Howard professor.Lujansaid he had always been impressed by Hell in A Very Small Place, Falls account of the battle of Dien Bien Phu which brought an end to French rule in Vietnam.

Lujan, 46, grew up on the rougher end of west side San Antonio. His parents were Mexican immigrants. Inspired by GI Joe action figures and movies,Lujanwas drawn to the idea of serving in the military.In high school, a junior ROTC instructor who was a Green Beret inspiredLujanto dream ofalsobecoming a Green Beret. Hard work, ambition, and good luck earned him a spot at West Point.

I was lucky enough to get in,Lujansaid. That was my big shot my winning, cosmic lottery ticket. I was offered the opportunity to go do something different, to go be in the Army in the special forces. All the people I ever knew were in San Antonio.

Green Beretsare an elite group within theUnited States Army Special Forcesthat receive specialized training and perform a wide range of missions in hostile settings around the world, includingcounterinsurgency and counterterrorism.As part of his training,Lujanlearned Dari, a major language spoken in Afghanistan.

Lujans next military chapter came in Afghanistan during the Obama administration when U.S. National Security Advisor Susan Rice visited his base in Afghanistan. Rice, he said, was curious about how things were going.Lujanwas the acting commander and gave her the briefings. While he couldnt sense it during the visit, Rice was impressed. He was soon asked to come work in the Obama administration.

From 2014 to 2017,Lujanwas director of Afghanistan, then senior director of South Asia on the National Security Council at the White House, where he led interagency setting U.S. policy and counterterrorism efforts.Lujanalso spent three years in the U.S. State Department, as a member of the U.S. negotiating team seeking a political settlement in Afghanistan.

I have had a very blessed career, running around doing operational stuff with the special forces,Lujansaid. Then I was able to get a front-row seat to how policy gets made in the White House. I was able to distill a lot of lessons: the use of military forces, foreign policy, politics.

In recent days,Lujansaid been putting the final touches on the syllabus for his upcoming Howard course, which will be offered in the Department of Political Science. But he said what hes most looking forward to is learning from Howard students.

I want to understand how Howard students see the world, their hopes and fears, and new ways to imagine things,Lujansaid.

###

About Howard University

Founded in 1867, Howard University is a private, research university that is comprised of 14 schools and colleges. Students pursue more than 140 programs of study leading to undergraduate, graduate and professional degrees. The University operates with a commitment to Excellence in Truth and Service and has produced two Schwarzman Scholars, four Marshall Scholars, four Rhodes Scholars, 12 Truman Scholars, 25 Pickering Fellows and more than 165 Fulbright recipients. Howard also produces more on-campus African American PhD. recipients than any other university in the United States. For more information on Howard University, visitwww.howard.edu.

Media contact: Sholnn Freeman; sholnn.freeman@howard.edu

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Retired Green Beret and Afghanistan Expert to Teach Politics at ... - The Dig

US Department of State deputy spokesman Vedant Patel has said if the Taliban intends to seek international recognition, they need to "start directly with the actions and the policies they choose to undertake in Afghanistan", TOLO News reported. TOLO News is an Afghan news channel broadcasting from Kabul.

Patel while speaking at a press conference in Washington DC, said that the US is "going to be watching very closely and will continue to take appropriate actions as needed." "As it relates to the United States and Taliban, we have been incredibly clear, quite regularly condemning the clear backsliding that we are seeing in Afghanistan, the egregious human rights abuses, the marginalization of women and girls," he said, as per TOLO News.

The Taliban has, meanwhile, said that ensuring the rights of women is an internal issue and no country should interfere in this regard. Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said: "The Taliban has its own rules in issues of values and womenwhatever the Islamic Sharia allows and whatever is ensured is based on Shariah. The Americans and other countries should not interfere in the internal issues of Afghanistan."

This comes as political analysts said that the issue of recognition is linked to the formation of an inclusive government, and the fulfillment of the international community's wishes. If the Taliban does not take "some of the rules and procedures on the international level and doesn't take practical actions to eliminate restrictions against them, it will not be recognized by the international community, particularly the US," said Najib Rahman Shamal, political analyst, according to TOLO News. (ANI)

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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Taliban needs to take appropriate actions in Afghanistan for international recognition: US - Devdiscourse

Over 1200 families have already been displaced by flooding in, Kabul, Maidan Wardak and Logar provinces

Over 600 homes have been damaged by the flooding

IRC calls on international donors to not leave the most vulnerable countries behind in climate financing, especially when many disasters are predictable

Kabul, Afghanistan, July 26, 2023 The International Rescue Committee (IRC) is scaling up to the communities affected by the recent devastating floods in Kabul, Maidan Wardak and Logar provinces in Afghanistan. The floods, triggered by heavy rainfall and exacerbated by climate change, have caused immense devastation in the region. Climate change has emerged as a potent threat, disproportionately affecting regions like Maidan Warak and Logar provinces, where populations rely on agricultural productivity and where they already face multiple challenges, including poverty and limited access to resources. As a result of the floods, these populations have had to flee their homes, meaning they are left without basic provisions such as food and adequate shelter.

Rising temperatures, changing weather patterns, and increased frequency of extreme events, such as floods, are compounding the struggles of these communities, disrupting livelihoods, and eroding the resilience of the local population. Regrettably, those who contribute the least to climate change are bearing the brunt of its consequences. The IRC underscores the urgent need for global action to address climate change, its impact on vulnerable communities, and the inherent injustice in its unequal distribution of harm.

Mohammed Riyas, Regional Emergency Director for IRC in Asia, said,

"Communities in Maidan Wardak and Logar provinces are grappling with the aftermath of these devastating floods, with more rainfall projected in the coming days. The situation demands immediate attention and support.

"While climate change is a global crisis, it is unequivocally evident that its impact is felt disproportionately by those who have contributed the least to its causes. We must stand in solidarity and recognize the moral imperative to support vulnerable communities as they face the consequences of a crisis they did not create.

The IRC's emergency response teams are working tirelessly to provide essential aid and services to those affected in Kabul and Logar, including health and medical support. In the coming days, we will also distribute cash to affected populations so that they are able to buy essential items. Just today, IRC launched a report that highlights that cash-based anticipatory action can help recover from, and build resilience to, climate disasters in fragile settings affected by both conflict and climate change.

The IRC calls on governments, international organizations, and individuals worldwide to rally together in addressing climate change and supporting vulnerable communities disproportionately impacted by its effects. Further, the humanitarian response plan is less than 25% funded, whilst 28.8 million people are in need of urgent humanitarian assistance. IRC calls on international donors to not leave the most vulnerable countries behind in climate financing, especially when many disasters are predictable.

MEDIA CONTACTS

Madiha Raza International Rescue Committee madiha.raza@rescue.org

Nancy Dent International Rescue Committee Nancy.Dent@rescue-uk.org

IRC Global Communications +1 646 761 0307 communications@rescue.org

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IRC prepares response for flood affected communities in ... - ReliefWeb

ANI | Updated: Jul 27, 2023 19:09 IST

New York [US], July 27 (ANI): The United Nations Security Council in its latest report has said that the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan has emboldened Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan [TTP], resulting in an increase in its cross-border attacks in Pakistan. The report also notes that there was evidence that several global terrorist entities are using the TTP as cover to evade restrictions of the Afghan Taliban, adding that greater restrictions over such groups could push them to join the Islamic State of Khorasan (ISKP). The report claims that in June, some TTP fighters were relocated away from the Pak-Afghan border as a request from Pakistan. However, the TTP could become a regional threat if it continues enjoying the patronage of the Taliban, it says, adding that one member states noted that TTP was being aided by Al Qaeda Indian Subcontinent (AQIS). It also reported that the East Turkistan Islamic Movement (ETIM)/Turkistan Islamic Party (TIP) training camps in Kunar Province were being used for TTP fighters. The report while quoting assessments of some Member States claims that Saif al-Adl, most likely to succeed Ayman al-Zawahiri, is still in Iran. It further adds that the numerical strength of the Al-Qaida Central in Afghanistan is between 30 to 60 members, while its fighters are estimated to be 400, reaching 2,000 with family members included. Al-Qaida in the Indian Subcontinent has approximately 200 fighters. One Member State assessed that Al-Qaida is shaping AQIS to spread its operations into Bangladesh, Kashmir, and Myanmar. The report further notes that Islamic State Khorasan (ISKP) continues to pose the most serious threat in Afghanistan and the wider region and beyond to Europe highlighting the group's recent high-profile attacks in Afghanistan against senior Taliban leaders. It adds that Mawlawi Rajab, previously identified as ISKP leader, Shahab al-Muhajir's deputy, has been appointed as Head of external operations of ISKP. The report termed the claim from one State member that Sanaullah Ghafari (Shahab al-Muhajir) would have been killed in June, as not confirmed. The report assessed that ISKP might pursue high-impact operations against Western countries and their interests abroad in the medium term, as evidenced by a recently disrupted attack in Strasbourg, France. (ANI)

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Taliban takeover in Afghanistan has emboldened TTP, increasing ... - ANI News